In 1991 and 92 Jack and I learned to make some simple Navajo style pieces, and these are still my favorite to wear. Examples are the crosses I made. The bird was perhaps my most complex piece, almost sculpted from a piece of sheet silver. To me it too is a cross form. The beads and chain pictured here were not made by me but purchased from Indian Jeweler's Supply in Gallup NM.
The Isleta cross necklace is styled like one from that pueblo. These early necklaces were featured in the book Heart of the Dragonfly by Allison Bird. When I was studying the jewelry, my brother took me on a 9 day trip to Albuquerque and Santa Fe and Taos to see the museum collections there. That trip is a treasured memory!
My nicest piece may be the dime beads made by Jackie of old silver dimes. The naja I wear on it is one I made, when I had not yet learned to use silver solder of different heat requirements. As I would fasten the pieces on one end of the naja the other pieces would melt off! It took a full day and 18 tries I remember to get it together! These beads are heavy and wonderful! I find them too heavy to wear more than a few hours at a time.
One of my daughters recently bought the lovely heavy beads pictured below and lets me wear them. These are called Navajo pearls now, I never heard the term a long time ago, though they may have been called such then too.
